Mortal Threads
by RuexMytholover
Summary: When Hook and Emma return from the past, they unknowingly bring back a powerful winter sorceress, Elsa, bent on finding her sister and the one who first trapped her. Amidst the desperation and dealing, Emma is confronted with the origin of her magic and Gold is faced with the most difficult choice in his life. Season 4 AU
1. Prologue

"You need to go on without me and get out of here," the boy muttered to the girl who stood beside him. As he did, the pull of the all devouring vortex became even stronger, and he felt himself being pulled towards it along with the green mist that had settled around the castle. But he didn't let his terror consume him. The boy always wanted to be brave and he would risk his life to save those of his friends. "Maybe there's still a chance for him." He took labored steps towards the spiraling pit that was threatening to suck him away.

His terrified companion reached out to grasp his hand, halting his march which she knew would lead to certain death. The girl looked at him pleadingly and grasped onto a nearby pillar in order to stop them from being pulled away.

"No!" she screamed. Her voice was barely audible with the chaos that gyred around them. "You can't!"

The boy glanced back at her and was haunted by the dread in her face. She gripped his hand tighter and tried to pull him back to her, but the strength of the pit was too much for her. The boy wanted to smile at her, and tell her everything was going to be alright, but he didn't have the heart to lie to her. He tried to say something, anything that would calm that fearful face, but when he saw the pair of glowing red eyes looming behind her shoulder, he could only give her warning.

"Look out!" he yelled and the girl turned to see the skeletal face of the monster, a livid expression distorting his already cadaverous face. She tried to maneuver herself around to pillar, but the wicked king grabbed a hold of her hair with his claws and ripped her away. The girl screamed as he viscously ripped at her head, but she did not loosen the powerful hold on the boy's hand.

"You've interfered for the last time," the red-eyed demon growled maliciously. The girl was able to grasp a chain that was attached to the pillar with her free hand, but with the king clenching her hair, and the boy clasping her hand, she didn't know how much longer she could hold on. "And now you shall both die."

"No!" yelled the boy, launching himself at the king and grabbing him by the neck.

The creature had no choice but to release the girl as he struggled to throw the boy from him. The girl grasped the end of the chain as the pull became even stronger and brought them to their knees. With that, the boy was thrown off of the king and tumbled across the stone floor.

In an effort to rid himself of his annoyance, the corpse of a man grabbed the boy's ankle, and sunk his sharp nails deep into the flesh. The boy screamed in agony and tried to pull away, but the hold on his ankle was impossible to escape. As if sensing her friend was trapped, the girl reached up and grabbed the boy's hand, trying to pull him away from the claws of the king and the powerful suction of the black vortex. He clutched at her wrist desperately, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep holding onto her.

Nor would she be able to hold onto the pillar.

"No, you will not escape!" the king roared as he gripped the boy's leg with his other hand and his calf was pierced by the claws. "You will satisfy it's hunger."

The boy looked into the malicious red eyes and his stomach twisted in terror.

In a moment he was thrown by the king, pulled along by the torrent that led to the centre of the pit.

However, despite his confidence the boy would not live a second more, the current of the pit began to drag the evil king as well.

A horrifying wail erupted from his lips, the thin body being thrown into the air as it twisted and turned like a card caught in the wind.

However, before the swirling pit claimed its victim, the king lashed out with one purposeful hand, seizing the boys leg as he was slowly drawn into the vortex.

The girl cried out in shock, but leapt after her dearest friend before he too was dragged into the pit, the king's mangled grip still around the boy's leg.

The disturbing wails which gurgled up from the King's throat were hideous, but his grip was unrelenting and refused to let his victim go.

The boy felt his body and hers being dragged across the surface, both destined for the roiling pit.

"I can't- I can't get away," the boy gasped out, the breath nearly stollen from his lungs.

There was a sickening snap and the boy screamed, his voice barely carrying out over the roar of the vortex.

The girl cringed in fear for him but she held tighter to his fingers, her own body hardly strong enough keep her own the ground which would not withstand the powerful gail for much longer.

Cowering in pain, the boy glanced at his left back leg as it was bent over the edge of the pit at an unnatural angle, the king's clawed hand still attached.

He knew then, that even if she could pull him from hands of the king and the vortex, there would be no way for them to both escape the castle coming down around them.

"You have to let go-" he gasped out trying to wring his hands from her grasp, but the girl only cried out before grabbing him tightly once more, forbidding him from it, "it's the only way one of us will escape alive."

"I won't leave you," she cried out against the pit's thunderous voice which was calling out for them.

His lips drew into a thin pale line before he leaned in towards her slowly. In a moment of desperation and sorrow, he pressed his lips upon hers, savoring in everything that 'might have been'.

It was soft and meaningful despite the crushing despair around them, she would look back and remember wishing that this kiss could have been under different, happier circumstances.

The wailing increased, the girls body now trembling against the wind's strength as they pulled apart. His normally happy and handsome face was rippled with fear and loss, but she could see the faintest smile on his lips, though they were touched by sadness.

"I'm so sorry Eilonwy," he whispered, but she was too late to stop him as the boy pushed off her hands and was pulled, along with the evil king, into the spinning black abyss.


	2. Chapter 1: Home

When Elsa opened her eyes with a violent jolt, she was immediately overwhelmed with a storm of emotions. There was fear, panic, confusion, sorrow and anger. So much anger she felt ready to burst.

She looked down to the golden bottle at her feet with a hateful glare. Rage coursed through her veins when she looked upon the dreadful prison that had drained her of her power and trapped her in her own little prison. She was honestly sick of being put into prisons. She ripped off her glove and let the ice flow through her fingertips. In an instant, the bottle was frozen and it shattered like glass. With a smirk twitching at her lips, she examined her surroundings. It looked like a simple farm house, aside from the odd pattern that had been drawn beneath her feet.

Elsa wasn't sure if she was still in Arendelle or not, but judging by the lack of snow on the ground she was probably somewhere else. She felt a jolt of panic when she realized how far she had travelled, but quickly suppressed the emotion when she felt shards of frost pricking against her palms.

"Conceal," she whispered to herself until she couldn't feel anymore. Her father's voice sounded in her ears and lulled her into a numb state. "Don't feel. Don't let it show."

Elsa let out a deep sigh and then walked to the doors with purposeful strides. She held her head up high like the queen that she was and walked from the stable doors to meet her friend or foe head on.

When she exited the farm house, she heard laughter coming from down the hillside. She couldn't control the fear that consumed her when she heard the sound. It had been so long since she had encountered people. And the last time she was around people she had left them in a frozen slumber.

Elsa cautiously walked to the edge of the hill and saw two people walking along a path that ran beside a river. One was a shorter man with a thick beard and a gruff appearance, he reminded her of the northern rangers that came down from the mountains to deliver ice to her kingdom. The other was a woman with light, graceful steps and a sweet pixie like face, who was the source of the hysterical giggles. Their clothing was odd and unlike anything Elsa had ever seen before. The girl weaved her hand through his as they walked down the path. The intimacy between the two of them created an uncomfortable knot in Elsa's stomach. She couldn't remember being that close to anybody. Not even Anna.

When the name flashed into her mind, all her emotions broke free and a rush of cold wind burst from her. It started to snow.

"Oh no," she whispered in horror when the heavy snow began to fall around her and a thin sheet of ice formed beneath her feet. Elsa tried to push her emotions down again and force herself into a state of calm, but Anna's voice and face would not leave her mind. And when she thought of her little sister and her pale blue face after she had turned to solid ice, Elsa was wrought with panic and despair. The ice began to spiral across the earth, creating spider webs of frost that crawled across the ground. A blizzard whirled around her at frightening speed, matching the chaos that swarmed her mind.

Anna wasn't here. Anna was gone. Where was Anna?

Anna was still in Arendelle when she had been trapped in the bottle. Would her sister still be there when she got back? If she could ever find a way back.

Elsa looked to the couple who were frightened by the sudden snow storm and now running across a bridge on the river. She assumed that they were running to find some shelter. Through the thick snow fall, she saw the faint image of a clock tower in the distance. A town.

If she could keep her emotions in check for long enough, maybe she could get help. Or find out how to get home.

Elsa walked down the hill and towards the bridge. She stopped when she noticed a large piece of loose paper blowing in the wind. She caught it with her gloved hand and looked at the cover. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a picture of a man and a woman standing side by side. The woman was small with rich dark hair and a kind, round face, that reminded her painfully of Anna's face. But the sight of the man froze her veins. His skin was different, along with his clothes and overall demeanour, but she knew his face. Her eyes narrowed.

xxx

_Emma had never been in a house that was so clean before. All the foster homes she had stayed in were never particularly well kept and never this nice. She had to suppress the urge to swipe the crystal ashtray that was glittering on the table in front of her. Neal, however, had much less self control. With a quick flick of his wrist, he took a silver candle holder and the cream coloured candle along with it._

_"I don't know how anyone could stand living in a place this big," Neal stated. He picked up an apple from the buffet table and took a large bite. "I mean it would be so much work to keep it clean. Hell, you might get lost in your own house."_

_"I think it would be nice," Emma argued, running her fingers across the polished wood on the table. Her eyes were drawn to the ashtray again. "I always wanted to have one of those huge bedrooms with the balcony and the satin curtains."_

_"That's a bit excessive," Neal laughed. "I didn't peg you as the Rapunzel type, locked up in your fancy tower. You know, extravagance isn't as great as they make it look in magazines. Also it's expensive." _

_"I'm sorry," she said with a grin as she pushed his shoulder lightly. "What would be your idea of the ideal home?"_

_He looked at her with a small smile and slipped his hand into hers. "Anywhere you are."_

_A warmth spread from her chest all the way down to her toes. She reached up to brush his dark brown curls with her fingertips and traced his face with her hand. _

_"Sap," she mocked with a wicked grin, touching his nose with hers before backing away and slipping that damn ashtray into her jacket. _

_They spent the day wandering around the open house, munching on the free food and swiping any small sized item that was within reach. By the end of the afternoon, their pockets were so stuffed that they had to leave in order to avoid suspicion. When they saw the cop car parked beside their little yellow bug, they both were seized by panic. Emma reached out and gripped Neal's arm tightly, and they both noticed the cop that stood looking at the hood of their car. Neal automatically turned sharply to walk in a different direction when the officer started glancing around. Emma could feel her heart pounding like a jackhammer when they walked past their car and continued down the street, trying to be inconspicuous. She wanted to stop and turn, see if the cop had noticed them, but she held back her curiosity. _

_When they were far enough from the car that they couldn't be seen by the cop, they stopped and looked at each other in panic. _

_"What do we do?" Emma whispered. She turned her head to look where the car was, she could see the cop car still parked beside it. "All our things are in there."_

_She thought of her baby blanket, comfortably nestled in the back seat. She couldn't just leave the car there and run off. Not without the only connection she had to her parents._

_"We just need to hide out until he leaves, but we can't hang around here and wait for him to find us. We need to go," Neal answered with infuriatingly calm voice. Emma couldn't help but be annoyed about how chill he was in this situation._

_Neal took hold of her wrist and tried to pull her away. Emma didn't budge, and her eyes remained focused and their little bug. Their home. She couldn't just abandon her only home. _

_"We'll come back Emma," he said, his soft tone melting her rock hard nerves. She wanted to stay and fight his suggestion, but she knew he was right. They couldn't stay there with that cop on the prowl. If they were caught, she might lose him._

_With a heavy sigh, she turned away from the car and walked off with Neal. _

_As long as she had him, she always had a home._

_xxx_

Approaching the salmon coloured house filled Gold with an odd sense of nostalgia. He hadn't been near the estate since he had died. With Zelena keeping him in that cage and farm house at almost all times, he never had the chance to return to his home until now. Today he returned with a wife at his side.

He was free from the witch's hold. He was married to his precious Belle. And his son was buried in the ground.

It was getting less painful to think about him. The sound of his name twisted his insides and choked him mercilessly, leaving him gasping for air. But it was better than it had been before. Belle was there now. And with her he could be healed.

"No one's been here but me since the curse was cast," Belle stated when they stood in front of the door. She took out a key from her pocket and smiled at him. He smiled back at her automatically. "The inside looks exactly the same as it once did. It's like it was never gone."

"Well, that's certainly comforting," Gold replied. "Hopefully there were no intruders snooping about while I was incarcerated."

Belle let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "I think most people would be far too terrified to step foot in here," she said, unlocking the door and opening it. "Even while everyone thought you were dead, they thought you were still haunting the place."

He returned her smile hesitantly and tried not to think about his brief encounter with death. Memories of the black prison filled him with profound fear. But he didn't show those feelings to Belle. He couldn't show her.

As they entered his old home, he glanced around at the space that was filled to the brim with antiques and treasures. Most of these things didn't even belong to him. But there were a select few things that he could still recognized from his past life. Certain cups and cloaks and an old leather ball that twisted his insides when he laid eyes on it. These things used to bring him comfort and drive him forward, but not anymore. They made him feel hollow. So he ignored them, because that was all he could do to stop himself from falling apart at the seams.

He looked away from the relics of his past and tried to focus on something else. But as he looked away, Zelena's face flashed before his eyes. She stood in front of him with a wicked cheshire cat grin and dark poisonous eyes. For a moment, he couldn't breathe or move and he felt the urge to rip the witch's throat from her neck. In his frozen state he could feel his muscles seize and his lungs burn him like acid.

"Rumple?"

Belle's voice ripped through his mind and he whipped around to see Belle standing there with confusion and concern clouding her pretty features. He tried to calm himself so that the rapid beating of his heart would slow.

"Is everything alright?" she asked carefully.

"Of course," he whispered, breathless and shaking. "Im just…"

He trailed off, unable to finish with any decent response. But Belle, in her infinite trust and understanding, simply smiled at him in a soft and comforting way. He knew he didn't deserve that trust. He knew he didn't deserve her. But he couldn't live without her. He needed her to be able to be a better man.

Gold thought about the dagger and Zelena and wondered if he really had a chance to be redeemed at all. Would she still see him as a good man if she ever discovered that?

"This place needs to be looked after a bit," Belle stated, turning around to face the dinning room in front of her. She laughed lightly. "A bit of dusting probably. But it's all ours. It's all so amazing isn't it?"

Belle turned to him with a smile so bright and so warm that he felt the guilt and sorrow melt completely away. Almost.

Rumplestiltskin smiled at her in response, trying not to wince. She walked up to him and took his hand in hers, holding it gently. She reached up and brushed his brown hair with the tips of her fingers. He was drawn into those innocent blue eyes like he always was and he smiled back at her like he was in a trance.

"Welcome to your new home," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her lips. "Mrs. Gold."

xxx

Emma rubbed her hands on her jeans as she walked up to her apartment door. Her thoughts drawn to Regina, Robin, and Marrian.

She didn't feel comfortable saying anything aloud in front of Killian, it just didn't seem like the right time to announce that she had no intentions of thinking about their relationship but was drawn to the Evil Queen's instead.

To draw back attention to him, she liked Killian, he was handsome, charming, brave and about the most normal thing in her life at that moment.

Which was kind of sad when she thought about it. Her… "love interest thing" with the hook for a hand was the most normal part of her life.

And that was another matter to address. What were they now? A couple, she'd be lying if she said she didn't think at least once that it could work out. He had changed so much in such a short time, and all of it seemed to be for her for the most part.

_But moving on so quickly after- everything- made her uneasy._

Emma almost tripped her way up the rest of the stairs, and scowled to herself. She needed to get a grip. If she kept dwelling in the past, her life was going to be miserable. She sighed heavily when reached the front door and turned to look at the pirate behind her. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other while giving her a slight smile. She honestly felt a bit guilty about all of her mixed emotions when she saw how unsure he was. She returned the smile hesitantly and awkwardly rubbed her hands on her jeans again.

"So, umm, I'll see you tomorrow?" she questioned, still pretty insecure about everything that was happening between them. "I mean I don't have to see you. You know, if you're planning on going sailing or out to buy more guy liner or something."

He let out an easy laugh. "It's alright Swan," he said with a shrug as he gave her a devious grin. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Okay," she replied, pausing for a moment, trying to decide what to say. "I, um… bye."

She turned around and quickly opened the door and went inside, leaving Hook alone in hallway. He frowned at the closed door. He was aware that it had been a while since he was actually in a proper relationship, a long long while. But he was pretty sure that at the beginning of a courtship, the lady was a bit more willing. But then again, he never really courted a women properly before. Still, Emma's swift dismissal of him was slightly hurtful all the same.

But he wasn't about to admit his "hurt" ego, he wasn't some simpering puppy that needed constant affection to survive. He did want it though, and however long that would take, he was willing to wait for her.

"Good night," he muttered to the door before turning and stalking out of the building.

When Emma closed the door she felt a wave of nausea and was hit buy an ear splitting headache. She felt physically drained. Maybe it was from the fact that she hadn't slept in nearly two days. But it felt worse than just exhaustion. She felt something in the pit of her stomach that infected everything around it, spreading like a plague. But before she could give in to the impulse to throw up, her mother's voice pulled her from the spontaneous sickness.

"Everything alright Emma?" Snow asked in concern. She bounced little baby Neal in her arms as she approached her eldest child. Charming looked up at her from his place on the couch and he stood up beside his wife.

"Im fine," Emma replied quickly, not wanting to draw any attention to herself or her feelings. Unfortunately that didn't stop her mother from bringing up one of the key reasons for her discomfort.

"So how was it with Hook?" Snow asked. Emma choked on her own spit. She didn't just seriously ask that, did she?

"What?" Emma and Charming sputtered.

"I heard you both talking outside," Snow said, looking at both of them oddly. "I was wondering if you were both alright after your time travel adventure."

"Oh," Emma sighed in slight relief. "Um, yeah. Im fine. We're both …fine."

"So you two aren't… a thing, are you?" Charming inquired hesitantly. He looked horribly uncomfortable with the thought of his daughter possibly dating a pirate.

Or probably any man in general.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled in aggravation. At the questioning look on her parent's faces, she groaned, irritated with her whole situation. "We aren't a thing. I'm not sure what we are, exactly. But we aren't dating. Dating never really works out for me, don't want to start right now. I'll wait it out till I'm sixty."

"Emma," her mother chided, ready to give her a long lecture about love and family that she really wasn't in the mood for.

"Look, Im tired," she exhaled, making her way to the sink and getting a cup. "We can talk about all this after I've had at least 13 hours of sleep."

She turned the tap to fill her cup with water, but the only thing that happened was it released a low moan from deep within the pipes. Emma frowned at the sink and turned both taps and still nothing came from the faucet. She stopped her self from yelling in frustration as she stomped to the bathroom and tried using the sink again, only to be met with the same results.

"What's wrong with the pipes?" Emma asked her parents. As she walked out into the hallway, she felt chill in the air. When she exhaled, she could see her own breath swirl through the air.

Wasn't it June? And weren't they indoors? Either something was seriously wrong with the plumbing and heating, or someone was screwing around with some winter spells. Knowing this town, it was most likely the latter.

Snow and David came over to look at what was wrong and felt the same chill that Emma did. David looked below the sink to check out the pipes. When he touched the metal, he immediately retracted his hand.

"Its as cold as ice," he whispered. "What's going on here?"

"No idea," Emma replied with a sigh. "But I suppose I'm going to have to find out."

This was a lot more than just some lower temperatures. She looked out the window and saw that there were flakes of snow falling, creating a thin sheet of sleet. This was defiantly some sort of winter spell, cast for God knows what reason. And she knew exactly who could help her figure out the caster. Even though she knew he would be less than happy to see her at the moment.

"I'm going to talk to Gold," she stated, marching over to the closet and pulling out her winter coat. Before her parents offered to help and drag her poor baby brother out into his first snow storm, she cut them off. "You two look after Neal and Henry. This won't take long."

She didn't really believe herself. With her luck, she might have to wait another day before she could go to sleep. With an irritated sigh she stepped out to walk into the hallway and down the stairs. This was the longest night of her life.

xxx

_Her impatience had made this the longest night of her life. Waiting around for that cop to leave was beyond aggravating. Even worse was when it was paired with her nervousness and anxiety. She thought of what could happen to their things, her most treasured possessions, if the cop decided to tow their little yellow bug. She would lose a part of her life. She lived with this fear as Neal and her wandered throughout the town, drifting in and out of different stores. Both of them were too rattled to snatch anything. _

_When they finally had the guts to return to the open house, the police officer was gone. Thank God. They both cautiously approached the car, looking to find a note pinned under the wipers of the front windshield. It wasn't a ticket like she had originally thought. It was only a simple message. _

_Saw some kids try to break into your car. If you find anything missing, please report to the police and I will be happy to help you out._

_Sincerely_

_Officer Denis_

_"Well that was considerate of Denis," Neal commented dryly, looking over the note again. "Lucky for us, Em."_

_Emma let out a sigh of relief. She looked into the car, making sure the dreamcatcher and her baby blanket were still in there. When she confirmed that nothing of value was missing, she burst into a fit of hysterical giggles._

_Neal gave her an odd look before smirking at her. "You finally cracked, huh?" _

_Emma continued to laugh as she stepped out of the bug and ran up to Neal. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. "God, I was so terrified."_

_"Hey," Neal assured her. "We're fine. There's nothing to worry about anymore."_

_Emma's giggles had finally subsided. She pulled back and gave him a bright smile, her arms still draped across his shoulders. _

_"Yeah," she sighed softly. She nodded her head in the direction of the now empty open house. "We even found a place to sleep, and it's free."_

_Their eyes met and both of their faces split into mischievous grins. Emma took his hand and pulled him up the steps towards the door. Both of them were now trying to stifle their laughing. When they stopped at the front door, Neal knelt down in order to pick the lock. When they heard a final click, he stood up and held the door open for her. They quickly ran into the house and Neal closed the door behind him._

_The inside was dark and it was best if it remained that way. Both of them knew that if any of the lights were on, they would be caught in an instant. They crept into the large living room that they had circled many times throughout the day. It seemed much less warm and welcoming without sunlight shining through the windows. Now the space just looked hollow and cold in the shadows. _

_Neal walked over to the large glass table that stood between the plush couch and the plasma screen. On it, he set the candle that he had stolen earlier. He pulled out a match from his back pocket, and she could see smirk on his face within the darkness._

_"And the Lord said," he whispered dramatically. He struck the end of the match against his shoe, "let there be light."_

_A bright flame was ignited and room was flooded with colour. He lit the candle, his smile illuminated by the fire, and tossed the match to the side once he blew it out. The flame flickered and casted long shadows against the walls. Emma quietly admired her surroundings as she took a seat on the couch. Neal plopped down beside her and wrapped an arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and just watched the shadows dance. _

_"Would you really want a place like this?" Neal asked her, his tone dripping with uncertainty. She looked up at his nervous expression and furrowed her brow in confusion. "I mean, I know the back of a car is no penthouse suite, but maybe when we get to Tallahassee-"_

_"It's alright Neal," she smiled softly, snuggling closer. "I don't need a mansion or a fancy estate. But it would be nice. To have a big house and a big family…" _

_She trailed off and glanced up at him to gage his reaction. They had been talking about settling down in Tallahassee for awhile, how they were going to rent some apartment that was as close to the beach as they could get, how they would go out to movies and actually pay for their tickets, how they build their home together. But they never talked about a family. Neither of them ever had an upstanding parents, how would they know how to be them. _

_Neal didn't zone out or freeze up like he usually did when she asked about family. Instead he surprised her with a brilliant smile that warmed her to the core. "With a house like this, we should have at least a dozen kids," he joked, tightening his hold on her. _

_She laughed and shook her head. "God that would be painful," she grimaced. She tilted her head to the side in thought. "Let's start out with four. Two boys and two girls."_

_"Sounds fair," he nodded in agreement. "Each of them get their own room. They get all the toys we can afford."_

_"Im not spoiling my kids," Emma said lightheartedly. "We make them go to a good school, that's right down the street, you volunteer there and help with art projects. And we can take them to the beach every weekend."_

_"What about in the winter?" Neal asked._

_"There is no winter in Florida," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Oh- what are their names?"_

_He paused for a moment, thinking of what the perfect names for their little dream world children. _

_"For the boys, something simple and classy like David or Joshua," he stated with a shrug. "Maybe Emily for one of the girls." _

_"I like the name Isaac," she mumbled, closing her eyes slightly. She was starting to get tired after the stress of the day. "I think it sounds nice. Or maybe Peter."_

_Neal shifted uncomfortably and winced. "I like Isaac better. What about the second girl?" he asked curiously, his own eyes becoming droopy. _

_"Mary," she whispered. "That was my mom's name. I mean my first foster mom's name."_

_She paused, thinking about the first family she ever knew. The family that would only keep her for three years before sending her away. She looked up at him, searching for an opening to move on with the subject. _

_"Anyone you want to name a kid after?" She wondered._

_"I wouldn't wish my father's name on anyone," he muttered so softly she could barely hear him. She wondered if she was even supposed to hear him say that. "What about Wendy?" _

_"Sure," Emma grinned, completely content. "Wendy, Isaac, David, and Mary." _

_"Perfect family to live in our massive home," Neal sighed. "We may need to work on affording the house."_

_Emma laughed in delight and shut her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she felt like family and home were actually in reach. _

_XXX_

Mr. Gold glanced around the room, dust layered everything thickly already an hour that they had been back and he was completely disgusted with the shamble.

As a husband, if he couldn't even provide a suitable living place, how on earth would he be able to do much of anything else.

Snapping his fingers, the dust lifted off every surface and vanished, probably off to some other world, the candles sparking spontaneously, all before Belle had a chance to turn around.

She blinked back in surprise, those pretty blue eyes batting softly before a small mischievous smile fell onto her lips.

_"Here, let's go see the master suite," _Gold grinned, take her arm in his as they journeyed up the stairs.

"And here I thought I already saw the master suite," Belle gave out a light tinkling laugh before stopping suddenly.

Gold was pulled back as she deviated into a small unnoticed room, something he would have simply glanced over himself, but followed Belle into nonetheless.

The room was simple and the roof was slanted, a window overlooked the back gardens of the house and Belle was approaching it slowly, the most peculiar smile on her face.

"What is it," Gold asked, smirking as he came up beside her, but Belle just shook her head and smiled, threading her fingers through his.

"As a child I always wanted to live in a room like this, my brother and I use to go running through the towers in the mansion, these places were always our favourite." She grinned almost dizzily, caught up in some faraway fantasy.

"You wanted to live in an attic?" Gold chuckled slightly, to which Belle held a hand to her lips and gave out a laugh.

"Well- that's one way of putting it," she smiled cleverly before pressing her lips gently to his cheek.

"This room will be perfect," She whispered sweet smelling breath against his skin.

"For what-" Gold murmured back in return, not entirely focussed on their conversation.

"Well," Belle blushed gently, a hand just gracing the side of his face, "for a nursery- a baby."

At this, Gold stiffened and backed away, there hands separating as Belle watched in astonishment.

"I-I mean-" Belle stuttered softly, somehow aware of what she had said, what effect it had on him.

"No- no, it's alright Belle-" Gold tried to smile, but his voice was shaking.

He shook his head, to clear the uncertainty from his mind. Of course she would want everything a wife would, a child- but the mere idea of a child, a _thing _to replace the only son he had ever loved in life. The only thing he had thought about endlessly for three hundred years- and failed to save.

The only thing.

Gold shook himself from the horrible thoughts.

"I was day-dreaming-" Belle tried to laugh it off, but even he, the king of unfeeling, could see she had been hurt.

"Really Belle- I-I would like to- one day-" He conjured his best sincere smile, and this time, like all the others, she smiled back, believing him, whether or not he meant it.

Not even he knew anymore.

"However, for now, let's leave this dank room-"

"For the ghosts… until we can fix it up," Belle smiled gently, grabbing his hand once more and leading away from the room.

However, not before Mr. Gold looked over his shoulder, the faintest wisp of dark brown hair flashing in the corner of his eye.

And a laugh that was all too familiar. All too real.

However, before he could turn around fully, and reveal the ghost, an unwelcome voice shouted as two loud stomping boots came thumping obnoxiously up the stairs right before barrelling into the room.

"The honeymoon's going to have to wait," Emma Swan breathed out deeply, as if she had run all the way there, "we have a very serious problem."

**Hello people, just started writing this with my sister and I hope you all like it. Im still going to be juggling this story with my other one but hopefully I will have enough time for them both. Once I'm done with this session of work and I should have more free time. **

**Please Review :)**


	3. Chapter 2: Queen Elsa

"Get out, Miss Swan," Gold ordered. He glared in her direction as she brushed the snowflakes off her jacket and onto his floor. He was never sure where she acquired the gall to storm through his home like a hurricane. She acted like she had some divine right to barge in and then order him around like some-

He stopped short.

Snowflakes. Why on earth was it snowing outside in the middle of June? Mr. Gold turned to the nearest window and saw the heavy snowfall outside. The edges of the glass were coated with a thin sheet of frost.

"What did you do?" Gold groaned, turning to Emma with a look of exasperation.

"I didn't _do_ anything," Emma snarled back at him. "It started snowing when I got home. I thought you might have some ideas."

"My apologies, Miss Swan," Gold replied insincerely, "But you're going to have to start solving your own problems. I have better things to do than tag along on your little adventures."

Emma rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Gold, it's turning into a blizzard out there, the roads are covered in ice, all the plumbing is frozen, there is at least two feet of snow so far, temperature is dropping by the second, and it's only going to get worse," Emma gestured to the window. "Someone is doing this with some pretty potent magic. And they probably won't stop until this whole town is frozen over."

Mr. Gold paused to look out the window again. He reached out and touched the glass. A normal man would of pulled away sharply at the touch of such a cold surface, but he ignored the pain and held is palm flat against the glass. Such drastic temperatures were only possible with magic. Perhaps it was a winter mage, or an ice witch.

_Or it could be her._

The town was wrapped in a blanket of thick snow, and the amount of snowfall reminded him of a frozen wasteland he had once seen. A barren land that had been, at one time, a small northern kingdom.

It was impossible for her to escape. He made sure that she would be trapped in the enchanted forest and not be brought along with the curse. But with all the jumping back and forth between realms, he wouldn't be shocked if that witch found her way to Storybrooke.

If it was that girl, he would have to deal with her before she froze Storybrooke the way she froze her home.

Gold sighed deeply as he turned to look at Belle, who was now staring out the window with a look of concern. She held herself tightly and Gold noticed that the heat in the room was steadily dropping. He gave her a small apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry Belle," he said putting his hands on her shoulders. "The honeymoon is going to have to wait. I'm afraid my talents are needed, again."

"I'll come with you," Belle answered with a smile, marching out the door and down the stairs to grab her coat. "Whoever's doing this can't be too far away. I have a feeling if we find an area where the air is coldest, we might be able to find the-"

"You're staying here," Gold interrupted her. She turned to him in surprise and with a slightly irritated expression. "I can't have you running off with me in this blizzard. We have no idea what we are dealing with yet."

Belle looked at him defiantly, her eyes burning with fierce determination. "I'm not letting you go out there by yourself," she snapped. "I've lost you too many times and I don't plan on losing you again."

"Please Belle," he tried reasoning with her. "It's too dangerous. I promise I will make it up to you."

"No," she insisted stubbornly. "I'm going with you. I can help you track down the person who's doing this and we can catch them together. We made a vow to always be at each others side and I won't break that. I'm not as helpless as you seem to think I am. I'm good at research and…looking stuff up. I want to help the town. Please Rumple, I need you not to doubt me. I-"

Before she could continue on her rant, Gold held up his hand and a wave of magic washed over her and she stilled, her mouth open with more righteous retorts and her eyes open and fiery.

Emma looked at Belle's frozen form in surprise and confusion. Gold grabbed his coat and a blanket from the drawing room couch. He placed the blanket over Belle's shoulders. He had no idea how cold it could get on while he was out. He didn't want her to be too cold.

"Are you just going to leave her like that?" Emma asked, waving her hand in front of Belle's face to see if she could get a response. Belle just stood there, frozen in time.

"The spell will wear off," he answered. "I'd like to return before than happens, if you don't mind."

Mr. Gold stepped out into the icy storm, and Emma followed at his heels. She looked back at Belle regretfully before closing the door to the mansion behind her.

xxxx

_It was so cold. Anna was shivering violently as she held her flimsy cloak around herself. Her hands were going numb and she could feel the flow of her blood slowing. The glow and warmth from the fire did little to warm the deep profound cold that had sunk into her bones. She couldn't move. Her limbs were too stiff and she was too weak to stand. She could only watch the flames dancing in the fireplace. _

_This whole mess was her fault. She thought as she slumped against the wall. She could see just out of the corner of the window from her position but it was no use anyway, everything was white washed the the monstrous storm barrelling through on the other side of the castle walls. It soon wouldn't matter if the storm was raging or not when she froze permanently._

_That wasn't going to be pleasant, she thought absentmindedly, she didn't want Elsa to find her like that. _

_Tears prickled her eyes but she couldn't feel them, she only knew they were there because her vision had become too blurry to see anything clearly._

_What if Hans went through with his plan and succeeded? Elsa had to win this but she knew there was something out there her sister would not be able to fight off alone. More than the curse it was this thought that chilled her blood._

_She wiped her wrist against her face, smearing the tears across her cheek but getting rid of them had to get out there, she had to find Elsa before anyone else did. _

_Crawling desperately to the window, she peered outside for any sign of her sister, the blue dress being the only visible part that could be seen in the storm. It didn't take long to spot it, her garments flying in the wind as all the towns people watched from the safety of the castle gates. She was walking along the fjord twisting and turning in the blizzard. _

_She then began to search for Hans, he would be next, if he were anywhere out in the blizzard, but she did not see him. Instead off into the distance, at the base of the mountain there was a vague outline, approaching the fjord with frightening speed._

_Kristof._

_Anna's breath caught in her throat before her knees buckled and her feet staggered back, right before hurling herself at the glass._

XXX

Another bump in the road caused the car to jerk violently, and Gold scowled at the ground. He had said to take his car, but the saviour insisted on being in control and now he was stuck in this old, tiny, tragically coloured piece of junk.

"Have you ever noticed how every time we solve one problem another one pops up?" Emma added in to lessen the over powering silence.

"Seems to be a pattern in my life…" Mr Gold muttered bitterly before glancing out the window at the storm beginning to fold in on them.

Another bump ravaged the small bug, tossing Gold back in his seat and then hitting his face on the dash.

"You should probably be wearing a seat belt," Emma spoke over his irritated groaning.

"I don't like being restricted by anything, let alone a cheap piece of fabric." Gold hissed, rubbing his forehead in aggravation, "it was not my plan to be in a rusted death trap on my wedding night. Where on earth would they sell such a useless contraption?"

"Oh well- I don't actually know who's car this is," she admitted, slightly bashful. She laughed to herself. "Neal stole it from somebody, I'm not sure who. God, I don't even think he remembered."

Emma remembered asking him that question while they were on the road. His face had gone blank and he zoned out for a second before bursting out laughing. He told her he forgot between fits of laughter.

She smiled to herself and turned to glance at Gold. His hands were clenched into fists and his facial features were tense. The cold and hollow look in his eyes as he stared out at the road chilled her to the bone. She quickly realized what she had done wrong.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, trying to give him a compassionate smile. He didn't meet her eyes and his lips tightened into a thin line. Emma felt a surge of remorse. Had anyone really spoken to him about the death of his son after his release. There had been so many people at the funeral, but Emma didn't think anyone of them other than Belle had gone to console the father who lost his only son. "You know, if you ever needed to talk about him, I would-"

"I'd rather we not continue this conversation," Gold interrupted her, his voice colder than the storm that blew around them. His eyes remained on the road, his expression hadn't changed, but Emma could tell he was on edge. His demeanour made her wary and irrationally afraid that he might explode at any moment.

"Look," she sighed, tired and defeated. "I know we've never been close, and I know that Neal was the only real connection to each other that we had, and…" she trailed off, realizing that saying these things wasn't helping either of them feel better. "You weren't the only one who lost him, Gold. I just want you to know that I understand how you feel."

"I doubt that very much," he replied.

The complete emptiness in his voice made Emma uncomfortable. It was eerie seeing the confident Mr Gold look so disheartened. But despite what he said, Emma did understand. She had never lost a son, but she knew if Henry was killed, it would completely break her. She could tell the man beside her was falling apart at the seems. And she understood why.

"No parent should ever outlive their child," she whispered sullenly. "I loved him too. I really really did."

"It didn't take you very long to replace him though," Gold snapped, burning eyes finally turning to face her. "Very telling of your love."

A heavy silence follows his words and Emma directs her attentions back to the icy road, ignoring the sharp pain in her chest. She has no response, no way to argue with him, so she just lets the silence hang as tears prick at the corners of her eyes. They never fall because she never lets them. Over the years, she has gotten used to pushing down her emotions.

It was always easier when she just focussed on a task instead of getting wrapped up in her emotions. So Emma scanned the road fervently as she drove on, until she saw a flash of blue within the endless cover of white.

Just up ahead of her was what looked like a cape billowing in the wind. It was within a swirling vortex of snow and Emma could just make out an outline of a figure.

xxx

_Elsa blinked back tears as she pushed against the snow storm, her hair blowing in her face and falling out of her horribly tangled braid. She trips over her feet and stumbles through the chaos that she has created. Elsa had tried to keep her powers contained, but she failed. She always failed. Why did she have to break everything? Why was she doomed to this horrible existence? This constant fear, and loneliness. _

_To top off she was being hunted by her own people. People who had praised her not a day before. And now they demanded her head. Though she couldn't really blame them for wanting to kill her. This was her fault. She turned the kingdom into a frozen wasteland and caused this unbearable cold to fall on her people._

_And she hurt Anna. Probably almost killed her. _

_Maybe it would be better for everyone if she was killed. _

_Elsa choked down her sorrow and searched for a way out, or anything within the endless white. As she turned her head she caught a glimpse of a dark blue coat and she recognized the form of Anna's prince, Hans. In panic, she turned to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction but his voice stopped her. _

_"Elsa," Hans' voice pierced through the wailing of the winds. The queen stood still when his call reached her. "You can't run from this."_

_He was right. Elsa knew he was right. She tried running, and it didn't work. It only made things worse. Hiding away and closing herself off didn't work either. She had no way of escaping her curse. She would never find an escape. _

_Elsa turned to look back at Hans, still slowly backing away from him. She couldn't get to close to him or she might risk hurting him too, and that would only cause Anna more pain. _

_"Just take care of my sister," she said shakily. Someone had to look after Anna, since Elsa never would be able to. Not without putting her in danger._

_"Your sister," Hans yelled through the storm. "She returned from the mountain weak and cold. She said that you froze her heart."_

_Elsa's eyes widened and her heart tightened painfully in her chest. The heart cannot be healed. That was what the troll said. If Anna was struck in the heart, there would be no way to save her._

_"No," she whispered in fear and grief. _

_"I tried to save her, but I couldn't," he explained and Elsa felt an unbearable weight befall her. She looked down at the ground in horror before glancing back up at him in despair. "Her skin is like ice and her hair has turned white. Your sister is dying, because of you."_

_Because of her. Anna was on the verge of death, because Elsa froze her heart when her sister reached out to her. She shook her head in denial. But what the prince stated was true. All of this was her fault. She was killing her own sister. The weight on her shoulders doubled with her despair and she collapsed to the ground. _

_Would it truly matter if she died? Maybe the winter would be over. Maybe Anna would be saved. And everyone would be free of her curse. Including herself. _

_So, Elsa convinced herself that she was no longer afraid and she would no longer run. She bowed her head low and closed her eyes tightly, tears sliding down her face. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for. A lightning bolt from the heavens, striking her down for her sins. The executioner, chopping off her head with an axe. But she honestly didn't care anymore. But she still waited. _

_Elsa could only think about Anna, with her white hair and ice cold skin. Her little sister, being killed by her powers. After she tried so hard to push her away. After she tried so hard to protect her. _

_And she ended up failing anyway. _

xxx

Emma now saw the woman standing right in the path of her car as she got closer. The girl didn't move from her place on the road. Even when Emma slammed her foot on the breaks and the car skidded to a halt right in front of the woman, she stood petrified, with the wide frightened eyes of a deer caught in headlights. Luckily, the yellow car stopped right in front of the woman, and didn't run her down.

In any other situation, Emma would have been furious at the moron who stands in the middle of the road and doesn't get out of the way when a car comes. But with the spontaneous winter, the fact that the woman in front of her was in a getup that reminded Emma strangely of prom night, and the way the snow swirled around this woman like she drew it towards her, she decided to focus on her priorities. Whoever this young woman was, Emma had to think she was new to town. Or maybe she was just living in town this whole time, and waited for an opening to be the next pain in the sherif's ass.

The girl stared into the window, with a look of fear an curiosity. Emma glanced over at Gold to gage his reaction to the woman. Maybe he's seen her in town or in the enchanted forest or possibly any other world that he's been to. From the expression on his face, she came to the conclusion that he had met the woman before. His eyes were wide and she could see fury burning behind the intense shock in his eyes. He placed his hands flat against her cold dashboard, pushing down so hard that his whole body was shaking. He looked like he was going to explode.

"Who is that?" Emma asked cautiously.

She could practically see the cogs turning in his head as he debated on how to answer her. He was hiding something, which wasn't that big of a surprise. Gold seemed to always be withholding information. Before he could tell her some sort of cryptic half truth, the temperature in the bug dropped drastically and the outside of the car started to freeze. Emma looked past Gold and saw the woman standing outside his window.

Her eyes were narrowed on Gold and glowing an eerie blue, her light blonde hair being blown behind her by the strong wind. There was so much hatred in her eyes, it was almost frightening. He turned to look at the girl and met her glare with one of equal intensity. Emma could only guess at the bad blood that these two shared. She certainly felt the car get colder, and not from the winter magic that radiated from the girl.

Emma knew it would be a bad idea to confront the woman, given the sheer power that rolled off her in waves. But Gold seemed to have the opposite idea, because he calmly opened up the door and stepped out of the car, boldly standing before the woman with an arrogant demeanour. She thought that it must be nice to be an immortal and not fear for your life when you meet magic creatures that wouldn't think twice about killing you. Unfortunately for the Saviour, she actually had to worry about getting murdered.

She cautiously opened her own door and walked around to Gold's side. The woman's gaze flickered her way for a split second, but then she focused her glare on the magician again. Gold didn't even acknowledge Emma and just continued staring at the other woman confidently. "Where have you taken me imp?" she snarled, hostility and hatred dripping from her voice like venom. She put her hands together and created a shard of ice in her palms. It looked like some sort of knife, and its razor sharp edges would be deadly to any human. "You have ten seconds to answer."

A low chuckle escaped Gold's throat and Emma could barely hear it under the wailing of the wind. "Do you really think your ice can hurt me, your highness?" he sneered. Emma was shocked by how he addressed her. Was this woman a queen or a princess? How many royals were there in the Enchanted Forest? It seemed like there were more kings than there were citizens.

The woman growled angrily in her throat and Emma noticed a blue glow emanating from her hands. This was going to go really bad really fast. She distanced herself from Gold a bit, hoping to avoid whatever assault the girl threw at him. Gold noticed the glow as well and smirked at her.

"You might want to control that," he said in a falsely concerned tone. "We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened with your sister."

That comment seemed to push the woman over the edge. With a scream of rage, she hurled the shards at him, all of them aimed for his eyes and face. Emma cried out in shock as she ducked to avoid the attack. The window behind the pawnbroker shattered when he vanished into thin air, disappearing before the ice shards could hit him.

Without pausing to look for Gold, the woman ran towards Emma's side. The saviour felt a jolt of panic and pulled out her gun on a reflex. The woman didn't seem to notice the weapon and stopped beside Emma. With a wave of her hand, a wall of ice rose from the snow, shielding them from the exposed air inside a solid opaque dome of pure ice. The snow storm on the outside could no longer reach them and neither could the Dark One.

Emma's eyes darted around the confined space and she felt another wave of nausea hit her. She fell to her knees and clutched her stomach, trying suppress the lurching in her gut. The witch that had trapped her in the ice prison was coating the inside with more layers, making the walls thicker and the inside colder. Emma could see her breath curl out of her mouth like it was smoke and she wrapped her arms around her shivering form.

"Wh-who are y-you?" she breathed shakily, her teeth chattering. Somehow the inside of the dome was much colder than the outside. It was like being trapped in a giant freezer, with the temperature continuously dropping. "Wh-what are you d-doing?"

Elsa looked at her and paused her work. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle," she stated with royal dignity. "And I'm protecting both of us."

"From what?" Emma asked, looking at the woman in confusion. Elsa arched an sculpted eyebrow at Emma, looking at her as if _she_ was the one showing signs of questionable sanity.

"From the monster that lurks outside the dome," Elsa stated, reinforcing the walls with more of her ice magic.

"Monster?" Emma questioned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, until she realized who the queen was talking about._ Yeah, she could understand why someone would think that. _"Oh, you mean Gold."

"This won't keep him at bay for long," Elsa stated, panic and fear started to soak into her regal tone. "I'll need you to stand behind me and then I will distract him. You will need to run after that."

"Woah," Emma stood up in front of Elsa, trying to calm her down. "Slow down. There's no need for that. I know he was probably a jerk to you back in the day, but he pulls for the good guys now. Sort of. His loyalties are questionable."

The queen's pretty features twisted into a disgusted sneer. She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin up, giving Emma a condescending look. Probably thinking her to be a naive simpleton. "That man tried to trap me in an urn just hours ago," she stated with a furious snarl. "He put me in this strange world and…took me away from my home, from my sister."

The more emotional Elsa got, the more cold it become. Emma noticed that ice shards began to poke up from the ground, cutting into her boots like razors.

"It's alright," Emma said in a soothing tone, trying desperately to calm this girl down. When Emma got a good look at her, she noticed that she didn't look very old. She couldn't be any older than twenty. She reached up and gently touched Elsa's shoulder. She flinched away violently, her eyes wide and full of fear. Emma immediately backed off. Clearly the queen had a thing about touching. She would just have to talk to her. "Where is your home?"

"Arendelle," Elsa whispered and tears began to prickle in the corners of her eyes when she recalled her home. "Where am I now?"

"Storybrooke," Emma answered, holding herself more closely as the temperature continued to drop. She was shivering violently in the cold. She couldn't even feel her fingers or her toes. "It's a town in Mane."

Elsa lifted a curious brow and tilted her head to the side. "Ive never heard of such a place," she said. "Is it some sort of kingdom?"

Emma smiled slightly. "Not exactly," she replied, allowing the slightest giggle to escape her lips as this was probably the last time she'd ever laugh in her life.

Elsa didn't look any more at ease, in fact she looked even more lost than she had before.

"Look Elsa," Emma told her, trying to ignore the pain of her freezing skin. "I'll find a way to help you and get you back home. But you need to be patient and you need to listen to me. Please take down the dome."

She shook her head, her features tightening in terror. "He'll lock me away again," Elsa whispered. "He's crazy and he wants to use my powers for his own."

Emma sighed in exasperation and her muscles seized. She had to get out of here and help this poor girl. The saviour had the feeling that Elsa didn't want to hurt anyone, she was just being controlled by her emotions. If Mr Gold was trying to use her, which Emma didn't have much trouble believing, the sherif would do all in her power to protect this girl.

"I'll talk to Gold," Emma reassured her. "And I won't let him hurt you or use you, I promise. I will get you back home and back to your sister."

"Really?" Elsa whimpered desperately. Emma noticed that the walls of ics were deteriorating as hope and one flooded into the queen's blue eyes. "You'll help me get back to her."

"Of course," Emma said with a gentle smile. "What's her name? What's she like?"

"Anna," Elsa stated, a soft and tragic smile coming to her lips. "And she is the most wonderful and selfless person I have ever met."

xxx

_Anna wandered through the seemingly endless blizzard, searching desperately for her sister. She could only think of Elsa. She had to save Elsa before Hans could kill her. _

_She found herself tripping and and staggering as she tried marching through the snow. The strong wind pushed her from side to side, tossing her frail form like she was a rag doll. She could barely keep standing, with her legs going numb and her strength slowly leaving her. But she forced her self to keep going with every last bit of strength. Anna was going to protect her sister from _all _the dangers that were threatening her. _

_She looked down at her hands and saw that they were turning blue. She could barely move them and she couldn't feel them at all. Anna understood what was happening and it filled her with a profound fear. She was starting to turn to ice. _

_The fear infected her heart like the ice that was slowly freezing her to death. Anna felt the urge to cry. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to lose her sister. She didn't want the people of her kingdom, the people of her home to suffer. And she was terrified of what _he_ could do. _

_Anna continued to search through the constant snow storm. She could barely see in this frozen wasteland. And with her extreme weakness and her vision becoming blurred and tired. How could she find Elsa in such a storm? How could she protect her sister while she was in this horrible state?_

_As these thoughts filtered through her mind, the snow fall suddenly stopped. She wasn't quite sure what happened, but the blizzard had just cleared away, leaving the fjord completely exposed. _

_"Anna!" a voice Anna recognized called out to her. The voice echoed throughout the kingdom, and Anna felt a chill that shook her to the core. She turned to the source of the voice and saw a figure in the distance. Her eyes widened when she saw the outline of a man running towards her. Her heart seized in her chest and she turned her head ever so slightly. _

_In the corner of her eye she caught sight of her sister, crumpled on the ground in despair. Hans stood above her, ready to strike down upon her with his sword. _

_"Elsa," she whispered in fear as she looked at her despondent older sister. _

_Anna turned back to look at the man that was sprinting towards her with such great speed. She knew he would reach her soon but she couldn't wait around. She said she would protect her sister, and that was what she was going to do. _

_Anna conjured every last bit of strength in her weak and freezing body. With a shaky breath of determination, she ran as fast as she could to Elsa. Courage and love swelled in her shrivelled and frozen heart. She didn't notice her rapidly dropping temperature. She only saw her sister. The sister that had shut her out for so many years. The sister who had kept her ice powers a secret. The sister who she still desperately loved and wanted to share that love with her. _

_'I won't let him hurt you Elsa,' she thought as she ran in front of the queen, blocking her from the wrath of the sword. The cold spread through her body and she felt herself turning into ice. 'I'll never let anyone hurt you. Because I love you.'_

xxx

Emma felt another sickening lurch in her stomach, and she clutched her gut and knelt to the ground. Elsa hovered beside her with a concerned expression. She made a point of not getting too close. Along with the increasing need to throw up, Emma also felt a furious pounding in her head, it felt like someone was beating her with a hammer on the inside of her skull.

"What's wrong?" the young queen asked, her attention now fully focused on Emma instead of keeping her dome up. "Are you alright?"

When the Snow Queen let her guard down, it gave Gold the perfect opportunity to break through the wall of ice. As soon as he poked a hole in the barrier, the entire dome came down in seconds, leaving the queen and saviour exposed. Elsa turned to Rumplestiltskin and stood protectively in front of Emma. Her hands were glowing blue once again and shards of ice started to form around her.

In retaliation Gold stood tall and firm and began to form a ball of fire in his palm. The flame glowed brightly in the white blizzard. The sorcerer's eyes narrowed dangerously on the young queen. She didn't back down from the threat, though. She returned the glare with full force.

Emma looked up in dismay. She needed to stop these two from fighting before they destroyed each other and the town in the process. She tried to calm her heaving stomach and suppress the monstrous headache. On shaky, numb limbs, Emma stood from the ground and stepped between Elsa and Gold. Luckily they didn't attack her, but they didn't lower there defences either.

"Both of you need to calm down," Emma ordered firmly, though her voice was much weaker than before. "I'm going to solve this, but I can't do that if you two kill each other and everybody else."

"You realize that she is the one causing this winter," Gold sneered disdainfully, his glare fixed on Elsa, who was now shaking in rage. "She can't control her own magic. If you let her wander free like this, the storm will only get worse."

"I'm not going to kill her, if thats what you want," Emma hissed. "I'm going to help her. And you are going to get her back home."

"Why would I do that?" Gold stated, rolling his eyes at the so called saviour's orders.

"Because you clearly don't want her to stay in town!" she yelled in exasperation. There was another wave of sickness and Emma doubled over in pain. She couldn't waste time arguing, she was going to get these two to the station and out of this horrible weather, and then she was going to lie down. She was tired, cold, just about ready to throw up, and her head was pounding like a jack hammer. She wasn't going to take any more condescension from Gold or complaining from Elsa. Emma stood up firmly, ignoring their looks of confusion, and looked at both of them with burning furious eyes. "Now both of you get in the car!"

Both Elsa and Gold were taken back by Emma's harsh, threatening tone. The sherif glared at them both for a moment before marching up to her little yellow bug, not checking to see if they were following or not. Elsa quickly followed, not wanting to be left alone with the man who locked her up. Gold snarled before begrudgingly trailing after them both. This was not how he wanted to spend his honeymoon evening.

Emma pushed through the sickness as best as she could. She had to hang on just a little longer and get out of this blizzard. But the more she pushed herself, the worse she felt. Her stomach was churning violently and she could barely see. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Emma started to sway on her feet and she had to stop her brisk pace in order to keep herself from toppling over. She felt so dizzy and tired, she could barely stand anymore. She tried to look forward and was shocked by the sight before her.

Through the snowfall, Emma saw a young girl. She was only a teenager, with long blonde hair and large blue eyes that pierced straight through her. Emma knew this girl. The memories of her childhood fluttered to her mind and she stared out at the young girl in confusion.

"Brooke?" she muttered. The girl said nothing and reached out a pale hand towards Emma. It was at that moment that the sherif couldn't take the sickness anymore. She tried to stay up, but she couldn't stop herself from falling and passing out.


End file.
